Ricky Gervais reacts after being slammed for 'transphobic' Caitlyn Jenner jibe

Ricky Gervais has defended his decision to target Caitlyn Jenner in his Golden Globes opening monologue, after being accused of being 'transphobic'.

'Suggesting a joke about Caitlin [sic] Jenner is automatically transphobic is like suggesting a joke about Bill Cosby is automatically racist,' wrote the Globes host.

Gervais posted a series of tweets defending his work on Sunday, in which he set out to poke fun at a who's who of Hollywood, from Ben Affleck to Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen.

Addressing the A-list audience he had said: 'I’m going to be nice tonight. I’ve changed.  'Not as much as Bruce Jenner, obviously… now Caitlyn Jenner. What a year she’s had.

'She became a role model for trans people everywhere, showing great bravery in breaking down barriers and destroying stereotypes. She didn’t do a lot for women drivers, but you can't have everything, can you?'

The attack on Caitlyn's driving was an obvious reference to the February 2015 collision in which the former Olympian, then identifying as Bruce Jenner, rear-ended a car, starting off a chain reaction in which a woman lost her life when her vehicle was forced into oncoming traffic.

Yet compared to the other A-listers on Ricky Gervais' hit list, Jenner got off lightly - with Gervais making a point of commending her decision to publicly transition.

Despite this the reaction was swift, with the comedian attacked for even mentioning the reality star.

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